Device for wrapping cigarettes and similar articles



April 2, 1935.

E. H. JAHN DEVICE FOR WRAPPING CIGARETTES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed Jan. 6, 19 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTUR rw5i" Warmann 7 4:11

p 1935. E. H. JAHNE 1,996,206

DEVICE FOR WRAPPING CIGARETTES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed Jan. 6, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvamnm frnsf flerma'nn Patented Apr. 2, 1935 uNiTE'o STATES nEvroEroR WRAPPING CIGARETTES AND l SIMILAR ARTICLES 2" Claims. (01. 93-2) The invention relates to adevice for wrapping cigarettes and similar articles with :a a view to forming small packages. 'It has already been sug gested that. in order that continuous feeding: of

5 the articles to be packed is rendered possible, the said articlesare fed to the. device between guid ing plates which move together with the articles to be, packed; towards .the packing material cut to size. In this way a preliminary folding thereof is accomplished and moreover damage to the cigarettes or the wrappingsstrip itself, due to the rapid striking of the articles to be packed against the wrapping strip is avoided.

The present invention comprises a device in which the walls or plates serving .for the preliminary folding are independent of the cigarette feed, each of the said plates being preferably pro vided with separate driving means, By the fact that the feed of the plates serving for thepreliminary folding is independent of the cigarette'feed, it is'possible to effect the preliminarysfolding at a much slower rate, .since the guide plates make a reci jgcating movement and'thus idle for a definite time at the ends of the movement. When this movement starts, the plates advance rather slowly so that, leading the cigarettes, they perform the folding operation during their slow movement, which isan additional reason for the strip being prevented from tearing and the cigarettes from being damaged. The fact that the two plates are driven independently of eachother by separate means provides the additional advantage, in the case of very sensitive packing material, of avoiding excessive stresses which might likewise cause tearing.

The accompanying drawings show two embodiments of the invention by way of example and represent in- Fig. 1 a diagrammatical side elevation of the 40 first embodiment,

Fig. 2 a top plan view of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a detail of Fig. 1 on an enlarged-scale, Fig. 4 a side elevation of Fig.3, Fig. 5 a diagrammatical side elevation of a second embodiment of the invention, and.

Fig. 6 a front View thereof on an enlarged scale. The two embodiments differ from each other merely by the arrangements of the catches conveying the cigarettes which catches are moved by a chain disposed above the path of the cigarettes in the first embodiment and below the path of the cigarettes in the second embodiment. In either instance, I is a cigarette container, preferably funnel-shaped in a manner per-se known and which is at its lower end so shaped with the front end of the cigarettes.

that the cigarettes iareabrought into the correct order required for" packing. In the example shown two rows otcigarettesare to be packedabove each other. The two; rows of; cigarettes} are advanced by a ram 3 and brought on a. path on which they are guided belowby the table 4 andflaterally by the plates. 5, 6,. When'on this path the cigarettes are seized bycatcheseach consisting of a plate I engaging'the cigarettes and fastenedon or being integral withtwo side members la. These side members are secured to. two endless chains-8 running on sprocket wheels 9 Inthe embodiment shownby Figs. =1 to fi :the catches and themoving.chains are arranged above the path .of the cigarettes while, in the;embodi-. ment shown by Figs, 5; and- 6; the chains 8 are partly moving below'the path of the cigarettes so that in this instance the guidingplate t must becorrespondingly recessed so -Sto afiord the space required; by? thee-passage 10f the catches.;. A e ndeo th uidesck-fi'ja d (P a there are prcgvided;- two plates 1 I and; !2 the first of which is secured to levers l3 while the second is secured to levers I4. The said levers are doublearmed and swingable about the pins l5 and I6 respectively their movement being eflected by the two cams l1 and. I8.

Springs (not shown in the drawings) cause the rollers placed at the ends of the said levers to bear against the said cams. In front of the levers l3 and M are placed spring mounted flaps l9 and 20 the inner free ends of which are opposite each other and preferably bent off so as to avoid damaging the cigarettes or the wrapping material. The material to be used for the package is fed to the device as an endless strip oralready cut tosize 2|. When the said material is fed as an endless strip from a coil, a cutting device of. a type already known for wrapping devices must be provided for cutting the required length from the strip.

The levers I3 and I4 and the plates H, I2 secured to the same are so controlled by the cams I1 and 18 that, as soon as the cigarettes advanced by the ram 3 are seized by the catches l, the said plates have arrived at a position which leaves the minimum distance between them and the cigarette container. Subsequently the said plates H and. 12 will move together with the catches and the cigarettes conveyed, the chamfered front edges of the plates being approximately flush Then the cigarettes are moved between the two guiding plates H and I2 towards the wrapping strip 2|,

when the cigarettes continue moving, the same as the said plates, the wrapping strip is, in the manner shown by Fig. 3, forced between the spring-mounted flaps l9 and 20 which do no more occupy the position shown by Figs. 1 and 5 but have been. displaced into the position obvious from Fig. 3, so as to fold the strip into the shape of a U. This having been accomplished, the levers l3 and I4 return into their initial position in order to advance the next pile of cigarettes with the next following catch. w

The preceding pile of cigarettes are entrained by a catch 1 together with the U-shaped sheet folded around, through a folding appliance. While so moving the small packages are sliding on a path 22, the wrapping sheet being held down by one or several guiding rails 2!. Lateral folding appliances 24 fold down the paper flaps laterally projecting, in a way per se known, preferably .in such a manner that the side flaps are at first applied to the package and subsequently the top and bottom flaps respectively. By means of any suitable or well-known appliance the packages finishedby folding may be taken from the device and further handled.

The levers i3 and 14 should be so controlled tha in the embodiment shown by Figs. 1 to 4 at least thetop plate I I and in the embodiment shown by Figs. 5 and 8 at least the lower plate 12 is swung out a suitable distance to permit the free passage of the catch 1.

The embodiment shown by Figs. 5 and 6 as compared with the embodiment shown by Figs. 1 to iaifords the advantage that the device remains accessible from above on its whole length and that'the packagesare thus visible on the whole length of their travel'in any operative position. 1 -"1'he manner in which the cigarettes are bein fed to the catches,-'in which the wrapping strip is being introduced and in which the strip enclosing the cigarettes like a U is laterally folded down, is optional and is no subject matter of the present invention. However an essential feature consists in the package being directly formed about the cigarettes to be Wrapped. The means used to this end, e. g. the guiding of the cigarettes prior to the same being seized by the catches and the control of the guiding plates are susceptible of structural modifications without departing from the scope of the invention. So for instance the camcontrol may be replaced by a link control, the flaps i9 and 20 may be rigid plates swinging about fulcrum pins and returned by springs into their neutral position rather than elastic leaf springs as shown in the embodiments described.

'What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A device for wrapping cigarettes and similar articles 'to form small packages, comprising means for feeding the cigarettes, two guiding plates arranged opposite the flat sides of the cigarettes, means'for feeding the wrapping material which is cut to size, and means for moving the guiding plates together with the cigarettes toward the wrapping material to preliminarily fold the wrapping material, the means for feeding the cigarettes and moving the platesbeing independent of each other and the means for moving the one guiding plate being independent of the means for moving the other guiding plate.

2. A device for wrapping cigarettes and similar articles to form small packages, comprising means for feeding the cigarettes, guiding plates between which the cigarettes are fed, means for feeding a wrapping material which is cut to size, spring flaps, and means for moving the guiding plates together with the cigarettes toward the wrapping material to preliminarily fold the wrapping material, the means for feeding the cigarettes and the means for moving the guiding plates being independent of each other and said guide plates leading the wrapping material between the spring flaps for the purpose of folding down.

ERNST HERMANN JAHNE 

